The Favorite Coin in My Collection

I apologize - I thought I had a photograph of the coin on my computer - it is the sestertii of Septimius Severus from IMP XII with Liber, Bacchus and Panther on the reverse - but then I mistakenly hit "post reply" and ended up with a description of the coin (which is featured on one of my articles on COINTALK) but not the coin - I really have to stop thinking of my computer as having limited space - I could probably post tens of thousands of photographs of coins and still have plenty of room. Ok I'll make the photograph and post it tomorrow.

 

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I am not 100% sure (the condition of the coin leaves a lot to be desired), but my guess is that is a Mughal silver Rupee, probably of Aurangzeb.

 

Common type, but an uncommon mint. Cnut quatrefoil type penny of Crewkerne.

 

It’s hard for me to narrow it down to just one coin, as I’ve had many over the years that I would call my favorite coin, including the one in my profile picture. As of right now however I think it might have to be this antoninianus of Philip the Arab that I picked up just recently.

Not only is it in near mint condition, like this had to have been hoarded away almost immediately given the uncertain economic conditions at the time, but it also celebrates an important milestone in Roman history (their 1000th anniversary since the city’s founding by Romulus) and represents perhaps the last gasp of classical Rome in a positive light just before the worst effects of the Crisis of the Third Century (the rapid depletion of the supply of silver leading to hyperinflation, emperors being killed by the Goths or captured by the Persians, the Cyprian plague, usurpers popping up all over the place, the empire splitting into multiple parts, etc.) begin to take their toll and Roman culture is fundamentally altered during the transition into Late Antiquity and the start of the Middle Ages.



PHILIP I the Arab AR Antoninianus. EF. Cippus - Saeculares.
Obverse: IMP PHILIPPVS AVG. Bust radiate, draped, cuirassed right.
Reverse: SAECVLARES AVGG. Cippus inscribed COS III.
RIC 24c. Rome mint, AD 248. 4,1 g - 23,5 mm

 

Ancient Chinese State of Chu Gold Ying Yuan (minted sometime between 400 BCE and 220 BCE):

 

Roman Gold Aureus of Marcus Aurelius (minted in Rome in either 153 or 154):

 

By the way, Aureo & Calico removed the dirt and deposits from the coin for me, so the dirt and deposits you can see on the auction picture above are no longer there.

 

This AV Dukat from St. Gallen is one of my favorites/ among many others in my collection.

 

My favorite ancient coin in my collection is also the smallest.

 

Beautiful coin. The bear looks ready to knock a ball over the outfield fence.

 

Wow, nice, I just won an Alexander In Lion Skin/Zeus obol, eager to see it

 

A pretty new coin I picked up lately and also a new favourite of mine

Alexander III, 250-175 BC AR Tetradrachm.

Minted at Mesembria in Thrace

Obv: Head of Herakles, right, wearing lionskin headdress.

Rev: Zeus std. left, holding eagle and scepter; BASILEWS to

right, ALEXANDROY to left; Corinthian helmet in left field, ^- A beneath throne.

Weight 16.39 g

Diameter 33 mm

Price 1027

Karayotov | 70 (023/R79);

Very rare, five noted by Karayotov (including the two in Pella), two (correctly attributed) in CoinArchives.